The City of Marquette has been approved for a $583,750 Revitalization and Placemaking Program (RAP) award from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to transform the vacant Marquette Chamber building located in Father Marquette City Park into a vibrant public space for the Arts, Recreation and Sustainable Downtown Development. This is the second round of the RAP grant and is awarded for ‘public space place-based infrastructure for a single project in a traditional downtown’.

The Project will rehabilitate a vacant, blighted, public and historic building in South Marquette and will serve as a local cultural resource hub and economic pipeline that funnels visitors to the business district in downtown Marquette. The Project site provides 1) a new gateway to downtown Marquette, 2) a new Cultural Center for Marquette, 3) a new regional 4-season trailhead. This project will provide the community with a new-centrally located public venue for a wide range of events that will significantly grow the tax base, contribute to the vitality of the downtown district, and reactivate a public space in the heart of the City. The project will include Low Impact Development, ADA/Universal Design and green materials and native landscaping.

The City Community Services Department will be the lead on the project in cooperation with the Office of Arts and Culture. Superior Watershed Partnership assisted with the successful grant proposal.